The handing over of full control of the Donetsk region in , the Russian president demanded, during the telephone conversation he had with his American counterpart, last week, as a condition for his termination in , reports the Washington Post, citing two senior officials with knowledge of the details of the conversation.
This demand, according to the same officials, shows that Vladimir Putin is not backing down from his long-standing positions, despite Donald Trump’s optimism that an agreement can be reached.
Neither the White House nor the Kremlin immediately responded to requests for comment on the information.
Putin has been trying for 11 years to fully conquer the region, without success, as Ukrainian forces are deeply entrenched, viewing Donetsk as a key bulwark against a rapid Russian advance on Kiev.
“He would cede more territory in exchange for Donetsk”
During the phone call, Putin reportedly suggested that he would be willing to cede parts of the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, which he partially controls, in exchange for full sovereignty over Donetsk.
This proposal is considered less ambitious than the one presented by the Russian president, last August, at the meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, with Trump.
American White House officials saw this change as a “sign of progress”, but European diplomats estimate otherwise.
“It’s like selling them their own leg, in exchange for nothing,” commented a senior European diplomat.
Trump has not publicly adopted the Russian request
Trump did not publicly address Putin’s demand for Donetsk, and did not adopt it, after meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In his post on social networks, the US president wrote: “It’s time for the blood to stop and an AGREEMENT to be made! Much blood has been spilled, with borders defined by war and guts. Let them stop where they are. Let both claim victory and let History decide”.
Trump and Putin are expected to meet in Budapest in the coming weeks as part of a new round of negotiations to end the war.
Ukraine “left empty-handed” from the meeting
The Ukrainian delegation had hoped to secure long-range Tomahawk missiles at Friday’s meeting, but did not receive any new military aid.
Reports in Washington said Trump was considering sending the weapons, but backed off after Thursday’s phone call with Putin.
Speaking alongside Zelensky, Trump said he hoped the war would end without the need to send the missiles.
The impasse on the front
The front lines have remained stagnant for the last year, with no significant gains for either side.
Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, and the full invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Ukraine faces yet another harsh winter, with Moscow continuing to strike at its energy infrastructure, a tactic now followed by Kiev against Russian targets.
The diplomatic preparation for the Budapest summit
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken over the coordination of the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest, which Kiev has hailed as a potential opportunity for de-escalation.
Ukraine has backed Trump’s proposal for a cease-fire on existing fronts before broader negotiations begin.
However, Ukrainian officials acknowledge that Russia is likely to retain de facto control of the territories it has seized and are seeking strong security guarantees from the US and its European allies.
“Ukraine will never give terrorists any reward for their crimes”
To reject any policy of appeasement towards Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky urged his allies today, upon his return from Washington.
“Ukraine will never give terrorists any reward for their crimes, and we rely on our partners to maintain this stance,” the Ukrainian president wrote on Telegram, asking his European and American allies to take “decisive measures” and to hold “in the near future” a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of – mainly – European countries that provide aid to Ukraine. “We need strong common positions in Europe,” he argued.
Attacks from both sides with casualties and damage
In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, causing blackouts across the country as winter approaches.
At least two people were killed and more than 12 wounded today in Russian raids in eastern and central Ukraine, according to local authorities.
Ukraine, for its part, regularly bombs oil refineries and other energy facilities in Russia.
Today, a Ukrainian drone strike forced a plant owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom in the Orenburg region to halt production from a large neighboring field in Kazakhstan, Kazakh authorities said.
Western companies such as Shell, Eni and Chevron own a majority stake in the Karachaganak field, whose natural gas is refined, mainly in Russia.
On the front, the Russian army today announced the capture of two more villages in Donetsk and Zaporizhia provinces.
Both sides indicated they intercepted dozens of drones launched overnight.
